Chapter 212: Shen Que, How Long Have We Been Here
"Shen Que, do you think next year we might have a few more puppies or little wolves?"
Meng Ci and Shen Que, each holding half a watermelon, plopped down on the steps in front of the house. Seeing Eggplant and Xiongying getting cozy in the distance, Meng Ci couldn't help but sigh.
"Not likely!" Shen Que said.
After all, it seemed like Eggplant was pining after Xiongying, and Xiongying was just not refusing.
Besides, there hadn't been any real progress between the two so far.
"Man, this is going to be a long road for Eggplant," Meng Ci sighed, thinking that Eggplant's journey to win Xiongying's affection was far from over.
But then again, it was probably for the best. At least Eggplant had a companion and wouldn't feel lonely. Without children, it also reduced the burden on the two of them.
Otherwise, if Xiongying ended up having six pups, the meat they had stocked up on wouldn't last long.
After resting well in the space and freshening up, Meng Ci and Shen Que left the space.
"Shen Que, how many hours have we been in the space?"
Meng Ci, upon leaving the space, found the bright expanse before him blindingly intense, hurting his eyes.
He clearly remembered it was already past five in the afternoon before they entered the space. Why hadn't the sky changed after all that time?
Shen Que was also a bit stunned at first but quickly realized what was going on.
"It must be the polar day!"
Meng Ci also remembered that not long after the locusts, the polar day would arrive.
Looking at the time on his phone, 9:15 PM, it was clear that it was the polar day.
We already had blackout curtains installed, so we weren't afraid of the polar day.
The two had been prepared for a while and continued with their tasks.
Shen Que went to the kitchen to cook, while Meng Ci had Xiongying continue its bath.
Xiongying's scar on his head had gradually faded and had started growing some fuzz, making him look less frightening than before.
Just two days into the polar day, Shen Que went out alone to find Zheng Yan, asking if he could get his hands on some farm equipment.
As for why Meng Ci didn't go with him, it was naturally because he was afraid Zheng Yan would give him some strange things again.
Since the base had been farming for a while, such machines were easy to find.
Shen Que gave Zheng Yan three boxes of cigarettes and three boxes of condoms.
With Zheng Yan's wide network, he got the farm equipment within two days.
Even though the machine was only about 30% new, its only advantage was that it could start with just diesel, without requiring too much effort.
On the day of the pickup, Shen Que followed Meng Ci's suggestion and brought Eggplant along.
But this stubborn Eggplant insisted on bringing Xiongying too.
When Zheng Yan saw the wolf and dog Shen Que had brought, he felt uneasy, worried the two fanged animals might bite him.
Therefore, after receiving the items from Shen Que, he hurried away.
Oh my! These two big brothers are truly extraordinary. Even in the apocalypse, they can still keep two animals so well-fed and healthy.
It seems that the two of them are living a tough life in the apocalypse.
But looking at their hands, they don't have any calluses, so they don't seem to be working hard.
Could it be that they are rich people?
Zheng Yan thought about the off-road vehicle the two big brothers were driving and felt like he had uncovered something extraordinary.
As for Shen Que, he was quite satisfied with Zheng Yan's reaction, as he fundamentally didn't want to interact with others.
After all, this guy is not only quick to get close but also chatty and difficult to deal with.
Now, during the polar day, unable to take advantage of the night to store the tiller in the space, Shen Que could only send Qiezi and Xiongying to check if there was anyone nearby.
After confirming that there was no one, Shen Que directly stored the items in the space and then went home.
Previously, raising one Qiezi, its meal would equal Meng Ci and Shen Que's daily rations.
When Xiongying first arrived at the house, it was somewhat reserved and didn't eat much, but now that it's familiar with them, its appetite is even larger than Qiezi's.
The two owners, to ensure they wouldn't go hungry, steamed a lot of rice for reserve, and of course, continued using the pasta maker.
The two spent over a day in the space, pressing five bags of flour and steaming three bags of rice at once.
They also made various stir-fried dishes!
Compared to other harsh weather conditions, the polar day lasts much longer, about a year.
During the polar day, it's bright 24/7, so the residents began to choose their own working hours.
As a result, the official staff also changed their working hours to a three-shift system.
With more labor time, the grain received sufficient sunlight, allowing them to control the photosynthesis process, thus greatly increasing the yield of various grains.
As a result, the residents no longer worried about not having enough to eat, and correspondingly, what used to be one pound of grain that could be exchanged for ten credits, now one pound of grain could only be exchanged for five credits.
And with more grain available, the livestock also ate more, so the price of meat also decreased.
With improved food, the residents no longer looked pale and underfed, and every day when they went to work, they had smiles on their faces, full of vitality.
Everyone thought the apocalypse was about to end, unaware that zombies that would drive them crazy were still to come.
Especially for ordinary people at that time, not only did they have to avoid the zombies, but they also had to deal with being bullied by psychics.
Now, with temperatures between thirty-five and forty degrees, the officials haven't given up on various well-drilling efforts.
After persistent digging, a lot of groundwater was found, but it was like a drop in the bucket, so the water price increased by one-third.
A month into the polar day, when Meng Ci and Shen Que went to the exchange point to get water, they ran into Zheng Yan, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Big brother, my big brother is back!"
"And he brought back the mill you needed."
Mentioning the mill, Zheng Yan was still sighing inwardly, thinking that with the price of grain dropping, these two might stop farming and no longer need the mill.
All the trouble the boss went through to get the mill back would have been for nothing.
But if they don't want to trade, there's nothing we can do!
Meng Ci's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"Really? When can we trade?"
Meng Ci didn't know about Zheng Yan's worries. He got pretty excited when he heard the mill was back.
After all, they wouldn't have to worry about running out of flour anymore.
"Anytime!"
Seeing that Meng Ci still wanted it, Zheng Yan eagerly said he could give it to him anytime, afraid it would end up stuck with him.
"Alright!" Meng Ci nodded.
"Let's meet at three today at a spot we choose."
"Okay!" Zheng Yan turned around and left to relay the good news to his boss.
At the scheduled time, Meng Ci and Shen Que drove out in the SUV. After handing over the goods to Zheng Yan, he didn't stick around and left right away.
Shen Que drove the SUV, blocking most of the view from anyone nearby. Once they were sure no one was around, Meng Ci stashed the mill in the space.
This time, Shen Que drove out of the base, circled around for a bit, and then stashed the SUV in the space. The two of them, along with the wolf and the dog, took their time heading back to the base.
With the mill in hand, they gave it a try as soon as they got home.
At first, they were a bit clumsy and fumbled with the controls, but once they got the hang of it, the mill became quite convenient to use.
Perhaps because the wheat was produced at the base, the flour ground was whiter, and the noodles made were more fragrant.